Wellness sees positive returns: Studies

Lighthouse Publishing, a small publishing company in Bridgewater, N.S., found out a modest investment in health and wellness can yield significant returns if the program is properly aligned with employee needs.

In 2004, the regional health authority offered to assess employees’ health and wellness at the 46-person publishing company, including a survey of their health and the kinds of programs and activities they would be interested in.

Based on the survey results, Lighthouse created a health and wellness program with four themes: organizational health, obesity, fitness and smoking. Each theme had several programs and services including newsletters, weekly barbecues, a well-stocked “healthy fridge,” a “pounds for dollars” program, private fitness classes, on-site addictions counselling and free patches for smokers.